Bible Study The Fear Of The Lord

[vinc]

The Fear Of The Lord

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7)

"And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." (Job 28:28)

From the above verses, we can conclude that one who does not have the fear of the Lord does not even have the beginning of knowledge.

"For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD." (Proverbs 1:29)

If you are not choosing fear of the Lord then you are hating knowledge.

"My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2 So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3 Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4 If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:1-6)

The above verse explains clearly how to understand the fear of the Lord. We have to seek it as silver and search for it as for hidden treasures and we have to cry to God from the bottom of our heart for knowledge and for understanding and then we shall understand the Fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. It is the Lord who gives us Wisdom, and from His mouth comes Knowledge and Understanding.

"Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." (Proverbs 3:7)

Departing from committing evil is Fear of the Lord.

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." (Proverbs 8:13)

The above also speaks out that the Fear of the Lord is to hate evil-doing, pride, arrogancy, froward mouth and all kinds of sinful ways.

"There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." (Job 1:1)

Job was a classic example of a perfect and straight-forward man who Feared God and hated evil.

"The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened." (Proverbs 10:27)

According to the above verse, if we remain in the Fear of the Lord by avoiding sinful ways, God increases the number of days we are going to live on earth. But, the life of the wicked, who do not have the Fear of the Lord, shall be shortened.

"He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him." (Proverbs 14:2)

If we live uprightly without sinning against God, it means that we are not despising God but fearing the Lord.

"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. 27 The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." (Proverbs 14:26,27)

If we go on living our life on earth in the Fear of the Lord we become men and women of strong confidence and we, as God's children, shall have a place of shelter (either an earthly or a spiritual shelter) from storms, cold wind, hot sun, rain or from our enemies.

"Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith." (Proverbs 15:16)

Even if we have little money or poor status in the world due to our Fear of the Lord, it is still better for us. Because there is no use of having a great treasure or rich status alongwith troubles which may come due to our lack of Fear of the Lord.

"by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16:6)

Men who have fear of the Lord depart from evil and evil-doing.

"The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil." (Proverbs 19:23)

According to the above verse, One who lives in the fear of the Lord as an overcomer of sin manifests a Godly life (Spiritual life or a Christlike life) and shall have satisfaction in life. Evil will not come near him/her.

"By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life." (Proverbs 22:4)

By fear of the Lord combined with humility one recieves both material and spiritual riches, honour and life.

"Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long." (Proverbs 23:17)

We are advised not to feel jealous of the sinful men and women who come up in life without the fear of the Lord. Let us not even compare ourselves with them and be dissappointed. Neither are we to compete with them in anyway. But, we are advised to remain in the fear of the Lord all the 24 hours of the day throughout our life.

"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

King Solomon, the Preacher in the Book of Ecclesaistes, goes on to say finally that the main duty of a human being is to fear God Almighty and to keep His commandments which are mentioned in the Word of God (Bible).

"Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear." (Psalms 119:38)

God establishes His Word unto His children who remain in His fear.

"My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments." (Psalms 119:120)

King David's flesh trembled for fear of God and His judgements and did the will of God.

"He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant." (Psalms 111:5)

God will provide the basic needs for those who fear Him and He will always be mindful of His promises made towards us in the Scriptures.

"Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. 2 His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever." (Psalms 112:1-3)

Blessed is the man who fears God and who finds happiness in keeping God's commandments. His children shall be strong on earth, wealth and riches shall be in his house and his righteousness shall be established forever.

"He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great." (Psalms 115:13)

God will bless all those who fear Him both small and great people.

"Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name." (Malachi 3:16)

The discussion of those who fear God are written in a book. God Himself likes to hear their discussions.

"What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose. 13 His soul shall dwell at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. 14 The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant." (Psalms 25:12-14)

God will teach the man, who fears Him, in a way that he shall choose. Such a man will live in comfort and his children shall be blessed on earth.

"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." (Ephesians 5:21)

We are commanded to submit ourselves to one another in the fear of God.

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

We are commanded to leave all filthiness of the flesh and spirit and go on to perfect holiness in the fear of God.

"And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?" (Luke 12:4-6)

Do not fear man who can only kill our body but fear God who has power to cast our souls into hell, forever in torment, after our death. God will not forget those who fear Him.

(Scripture references are from the King James Version Bible)

-- An Unknown Christian

 

[Relic]

.


This may be a long post, but the short 7 paragraphs in this article may be of interest to some of you, so here it is:




ARE WE TO FEAR GOD?
by
Eric Lyons, M.Min.



The word “fear†appears in the New King James
Version of the Bible 367 times.

In some of these occurrences, the text is expounding upon “the fear of
the Lord†and its relationship to wisdom (cf. Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10;
Proverbs 1:7). In numerous other passages of Scripture, one can read
where God commands that His creation fear Him (Leviticus 25:17;
Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 10:28; et al.). It is widely known that one of
the repeated truths in the Bible is that God’s “mercy is on those who fear
Him†(Luke 1:50). It also is well known, however, that in the New
Testament Paul informed Timothy that “God has not given us a spirit of
fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind†(2 Timothy 1:7). The
apostle John went even further, saying, “There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment†(1 John 4:18 ).


Some time ago, I noticed where Steve Wells, author of the Skeptic’s
Annotated Bible, highlighted 2 Timothy 1:7 and 1 John 4:18 (verses
indicating Christians are not to fear), and placed alongside these verses
twenty-six Bible references that specify we are to fear God. He then
asked, “Should we fear God?†Obviously, it was Wells’ intent to convince
his readers that the Bible’s discussion of fear is contradictory. How can a
person fear God and not fear God at the same time? Although this is a
question I thought a skeptic never would raise due to its seemingly
obvious answer, it nevertheless requires a response.


In most cases, when the Bible praises man’s fearlessness and his need to
move beyond fear, it is using the term in a different context than the way
it is used when referring to “the fear of the Lord.†The passage in 2 Timothy 1:7 is not teaching that we should not fear God; rather, Paul was
instructing Timothy that we should not fear for our lives while doing the
Lord’s work. God wants His children to be fearless in their service to Him.
Such courage will help His people “not be ashamed of the testimony of
our Lord†(2 Timothy 1:8 ). Like the Israelites who were instructed by
Joshua and Caleb not to fear the people of Canaan (Numbers 14:8-9),
Christians must not fear their adversaries around them, nor the task
before them. God expects His people to understand that “He who is in you
is greater than he who is in the world†(1 John 4:4).


But what about 1 John 4:17? Is it not referring to fearing God? A person
must keep in mind that the term “fear†is used in various senses in
Scripture (and whenever different senses of the same word or thing are
under discussion, the skeptics’ allegations hold no value). Fear can mean
terror, dread, and horror; but it also can mean awe, reverence, and
respect. The “perfect love†about which John writes casts out the former,
not the latter. As the late Guy N. Woods noted:

“Fear,†as here contemplated, is not that which the Psalmist declares
is “the beginning of wisdom†(Psalm 111:10), a reverential, godly fear,
which shrinks from any action which would displease God, the fear which
an obedient child has for a loving father;…but terror, dread, slavish fear,
such as is characteristic of a slave in the presence of a cruel and
heartless master…. The fear that is absent from genuine love is the fear
of the whip in the hands of the master; the dread of the chastisement
which comes to the disobedient. Perfect (mature) love casts out such fear,
because it cannot exist where genuine love is (1979, pp. 304-305, emp. in
orig.).


In Malachi 2:5, the prophet linked fear and reverence together in
describing the attitude that Levi (whose name here represents the entire
priestly class) possessed at one point in the past. Malachi stated: “So he
feared Me, and was reverent before My name.†The Hebrew word
transliterated yare’, frequently translated “fear,†also means “religious
awe.†For this reason, some modern versions (like the New American
Standard) have translated Malachi 2:5 thusly: “So he revered Me, and
stood in awe of My name.â€Â


Today, God expects His people to revere Him, not panic at the thought of
Him as a slave might fear his cruel master. Furthermore, one way a
Christian walks “in the fear of the Lord†(Acts 9:31) is by boldly following
in the steps of the Savior, Who stood fearless in the face of His
adversaries.






--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
REFERENCES

Woods, Guy N. (1979), A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles of Peter, John, and Jude (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate).

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[vinc]

Thank you for your contribution Relic. I think the Author and scripture verses means exactly the same "fear of the Lord" which the Author in your reply means. However, i agree that there is a danger of misinterpreting this literally by people.

Thank you once again for posting the balanced reply. That was indeed a valuable contribution to the thread.

 

[Relic]

Andmy very same appreciation to you vinc.

You are very much welcome, it was my pleasure

 

[evanman]

The fear of the Lord is clean.

Don't fear men--fear God.

Fear means fear.

Every time someone caim into the presence of God they were filled with fear!

Some even fainted.

 

[stovebolts]

Psalms 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me.

I know that the lord will protect me in two ways for as long as I fear him.
1. From not giving me anything I cannot bear (protect me with his rod)
2. That he will keep me in line with what he gives me. (disciplines with his staff, then his rod if need be.)

 

[Relic]

Just some questions to ponder:

What aren't you afraid of?
What are you afraid of?
Do you mock the fear of God?
do you respect the fear of God?
What's the right kind of fear to have?

--------------------------------------------


I just finished listening to this sermon given by Pastor Bob Coy.

He covers many many types of fears, from...
the lack of fear of the atheist,
the fears of dying,
the fears of spiders,
the fear of being alone,
the reasons to fear and respect nature.
etc.
He even mentions the subject of how others are so sensitive and offended becuase of saying something nice about America and included religion in the same context of expression.

He covers just about every fear one can think of, and he uses humor in his presentation.

I really appreciate the ministry of Pastor Bob Coy, and thought this one sermon appropriate for this thread.


Enjoy.


From the Series Emotions You Can't Trust

Everyone has faith in something. Is your faith in fear or in the foundation of God's character? Learn about healthy fear and how to rebuild when faults are found.

"Emotions:Foundational Faith For Phobic Fear"

rtsp://archive.calvaryftl.org/RM/A/Sanctuary/t1292l.rm

 

[JoshBibleStudyer]

We all should fear God because he could kill us just typing on this computer.So Fear God He Is Worthy to Be Praised